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3/11/12

Make it Good and Make It Snappy.

The Grade “A” Bentley Cocktail
You know that the Grade “A” Fancy Beverage Commission endorses only drinks that have a swift shaker-to-table appearance. The oft-quoted Harry Craddock of the Savoy Hotel, London, said that a cocktail should be imbibed quickly, while it’s still laughing at you. The GAFBC says it must also arrive in front of you at a decent clip, while you can still laugh with it.

We enjoyed this one last night, and it’s so simple and satisfying we predict it will stay at the top of our rotation. It began in our test labs as an applejack takeoff on the Manhattan, but when we replaced the Italian vermouth with Dubonnet, and in a smooth one-to-one ratio, it frankly purred like a fine engine. For a garnish we added a lemon twist – it turned out to be a zingier garnish than that cherry you assumed would be indispensable. A dash of Angostura bitters makes it very stimulating, indeed.
We then hied it to our library for a spot of cocktail bible study—because of course such a simple drink could not possibly be new—and in our search discovered that Mr. Craddock’s own Savoy Cocktail Book contains a Bentley cocktail with the same liquors, yet no garnish or bitters.